Exemplary embodiments of the present invention are related to the design and manufacture of a steering wheel.
Steering wheels come in various trim levels and colors. Some wheels are wrapped in leather, which is a very labor intensive process requiring up to ½ hour per wheel to wrap the steering wheel. Steering wheel suppliers are also constantly being requested to provide steering wheels having varying designs and trims. In addition, the steering wheel suppliers are also constantly being faced with cost pressures as well as production flexibility.
Today, a steering wheel is typically produced by first manufacturing a die cast structure comprising both a steering wheel hub and integral rim portion, then the die cast structure is placed in a mold and a covering material is molded around it. Thereafter an outer covering layer may be placed on the steering wheel. In one application the molded material comprises the outer covering layer while in other applications wood or layer is applied to the molded material. If the outer covering layer is leather, a leather pattern is hand sewn onto the rim and spokes of the steering wheel. This is achieved by placing a precut pattern onto the rim and hand sewing it onto the rim of the steering wheel, which as discussed above takes approximately ½ hour to perform.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a steering wheel and method of manufacture wherein various designs and trims are available and the same is manufactured in a cost efficient manner.